Topline
A mix of staffing shortages at air traffic control centers and thunderstorms on the East Coast sparked chaos for travel across the U.S. on Thursday.
Key Facts
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic advisory issued at 3:34 p.m. EDT on Thursday listed staffing alerts indicating insufficient personnel at seven FAA control facilities.
These include the Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), responsible for managing flights in and out of Los Angeles International Airport; the Philadelphia TRACON Area C, responsible for the sequencing and separation of planes at Newark; the Central Florida TRACON that guides flights in and out of Orlando; the New York Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC), which oversees enroute air traffic over central New York state; and the control towers at Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver and Washington’s Reagan National airports.
As of 4 p.m. EDT on Thursday, there were ground delays at Dallas/Fort Worth, Orlando and Reagan National due to staffing.
Over 5,000 flights were delayed as of 4 p.m. EDT on Thursday, according to FlightAware—with triple-digit delays in all three New York-area airports as well as Atlanta, Boston, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, Orlando, Philadelphia and Reagan National.
In addition, thunderstorms and inclement weather caused ground stops at Newark and New York’s LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports.
More than 25,000 flights were delayed between Sunday and Wednesday, making up roughly 14% of all flights over the four days.
Saturday saw staffing triggers at 22 air traffic control facilities, the highest number since the shutdown began, which Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News was “a sign that the controllers are wearing thin.”
Have Air Traffic Controller Sick Calls Ramped Up During The Shutdown?
The FAA has seen a marked rise in air traffic controller sick calls as the shutdown has dragged on, with Saturday hitting a near record with 22 staffing triggers. In comparison, the prior Saturday, Oct. 18, saw 12 staffing triggers. The two Saturdays before, Oct. 11 and Oct. 4, saw six and 11 staffing triggers, respectively.
Is Flying Safe During The Shutdown?
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has repeatedly explained that flight delays are actually a sign that air traffic is safe. When the FAA has a shortage of controllers, it manages the flow of air traffic using tools like ground delays, where the number of flights in and out of an airport is reduced to a manageable level, and ground stops, where arrivals and departures are temporarily halted altogether. “If I don’t feel like I have enough controllers or enough controllers that are focused, we will slow down traffic. We will stop traffic. And that’s why you see the delays in the system,” Duffy told “Sunday Morning Futures” viewers over the weekend.
Are Air Traffic Controllers Showing Signs Of Fatigue?
Several controllers—who work 60-hour weeks and get four days off per month, on average—told Forbes it has become more challenging to manage stress since missing their first full paycheck Tuesday. Duffy told Fox News viewers that air traffic controllers “are taking second jobs. They’re out there looking. Can I drive Uber? Can I find another source of income to make ends meet?” One air traffic controller who has been spending his days off driving for DoorDash told Forbes that he worries “about the level of fatigue” he and his colleagues are experiencing.
Further Reading
TSA Screeners Face First Missed Paycheck Friday—Expect Longer Airport Lines Starting This Weekend (Forbes)